Chain.



PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

G. W. LEVALLEY.

CHAIN. APPLICATION FILED I'EB.16. 1906.

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' No. 823,420. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. 0. W. LEVALLEY.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed February 16, 1905. Serial No. 245,364.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER W. LE- VALLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Chain, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to chains employed for conveyer purposes and as traction or drive chains and it has for its object to produce a chain of such construction that structural steel, such as flat steel bars or channelbars, may be used for the links thereof, thus of great strength at relatively low price, also to provide relatively long and large bearings for the pintles that serve to connect the links of such chain, to

produce a chain having wearing-shoes on sides or faces thereof, and to provide other improvements in chains of this character which will hereinafter be pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to several forms of a drag-chain.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a double-shoe steel drag-chain embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the separate pintle-bearing pieces or blocks that is constructed and adapted to be attached to one of the side bars of the chain. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are plan views of chains of somewhat different construc-. tions from those shown in the other views,

illustrating other forms of my invention.

Each link of the chain has two side bars .formed of bar metal, preferably of structural steel cut to lengths for any particular size or type of chain to be produced. Various forms of structural steel may be used for this purpose.

form of chain in which the links are formed of Thus in Fig. 7 there is shown a plain flat steel bars, while in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is shown a are formed of channel-bars of steel. The latter chainfor some purposes is superior to that shown in the other views, as the flanges 2 2 constitute wearing-shoes for the chain, and by using material of this construction I- am enabled to produce a chain having shoes;

on both sides, which is often of advantage, as

where a chain is employed for conveyer purform of chain the links of which poses and has an upper and lower horizontal run. I prefer to construct the chain as represented in Fig. 1that is, of alternate open and closed links, (designated, respectively, A and B,) the former being adapted to receive the teeth of the sprocket-wheels in connection with which the chain is used and the latter being arranged intermediate the open links A. Each link is formed of a pair of side bars 1 1, and the links are connected by pintles 3. The pintles may be of any suitable construction; but I prefer to employ a plain headed bolt, which after being inserted in place has one end upset or headed in a way now quite common in the art of making chains. When the links of the chain are formed of channelbars, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the channels of the open links A face outward, while the channels of the intermediate links face inward and the adjacent ends of the links overlap in the usual way. It will be understood that the side bars of the links are perforated near their ends for the passage of the connecting-pintles 3. p

In order to provide elongated bearings for the pintles or. cross-bolts, so as to prevent undue Wear of the apertures through the side bars through which such bolts pass, I have invented a novel form of separate pintlebearing, which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. and which is arranged to be attached to and combined with the side bars of the links. Such bearing-piece consists of a piece or block of metal 4, adapted to be secured to the face of'the side bar and perforated at 5 for the passage of the connecting-pintle. When such bearing is to be used in combination with a side bar of channel shape, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I prefer that its opposite faces 6 should be beveled to fit the correspondingly-beveled inner faces of the flanges 2 of side bars, as this insures a very close fit between the bearing-pieces and the side bars when the chain is assembled and the pintles or cross-bolts are riveted. I prefer that the hole 5 through the block should be arranged somewhat eccentrically in order to throw the greatest amount of metal on that side of the axis of the aperture which is to receive the greatest amount of wear. A separate bearing-piece such as described may be secured in lace in various ways; but I prefer to form P I l the block 4 with a laterally-extending plate or bracket 7 from which extends a stud or lug 8. This bracket is adapted to lie flat against the face of the side bar of the links, and the stud 8 thereof passes through the aperture 9 in the side bar. The end of the lug is preferably dished or made concave, so as to facilitate the end of the lug that may project through the aperture 9 and beyond the face of the side bar being spread or upset to form a head 10, that operates to securely hold the bearing-piece in place. In a form of chain like that shown in Fig. 1 there are four of these bearing-pieces at each joint or 1 articulation of the chain. Two of them are 3 arranged between the outward-extending flanges 2 of the open link A and the other two i are arranged between the inward-extending flanges of the intermediate link B. It will be i understood that the apertures 5 in the bearin -b;locks register with the apertures in the f si e bars through which the .connecting-pintles pass.

I prefer that the bearing-pieces that are secured to the intermediate links should be of; such length as to serve as spacing members. by coming into engagement face to face, 1 thereby holding the side bars of such links at I a suitable distance apart. It is not important that the bearing-pieces secured to the open links should be of the same size as those carried by the intermediate links. In Fig. 1 I have represented them as being somewhat shorter, so that they do not project beyond the flanges of the outer links, while the bearing-blocks of the intermediate links do .extend beyond the flanges of thesidebars thereof. I prefer that these bearing blocks or pieces should extend out flush with the ends of the side bars to which they are secured. This is of practical advantagein the construction of the intermediate links B, as such pieces then constitute filling blocks or pieces arranged between the sidebars and adapted to engage with the teeth of the sprocketw'heels over which the chain passes.

In Fig. 7 I have shown my invention applied to a chain, the side ,bars of which are formed of flat steel bars instead of being constructed of channel-bars. in such a form of chain 1 maydispense with the separate b arings for the open links and use themonly in connection with the intermediate links. When thus arranged, the connecting bolts or pintles are preferably provided with keys 11, arranged to fit corresponding key-seats in the side bars of the open links in order to prevent the pintles from rotating in their seats in such side bars, and .thuscutting them out with undesirable rapidi-ty, the wear being thus confined to the elongated bearings in the separate blocks vor pieces 4.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 6 1 represent a chain, the side bars of the open link of which are formed of channel-shaped steel, while the intermediate links B are each 6 5 of a single piece of solid metal. In this form of the invention the bearing-pieces will be cemh ne 91. 3 w h pe li In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another form of the invention, in which the open links are formed of plain steel bars and the intermediate links B are formed of channel-bars.

Each of the different forms of chain which I have illustrated has advantages incident to its peculiar construction, which need not, however, be set forth in detail, and each, as will be readily seen, embodies one or more features of my present invention.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In a chain, the combination of the links having overlapping side bars perforated near their ends, connecting-pintles arranged to pass through the perforations in the side bars, and a pair ofbearing-pieces for each joint of the chain, such pieces being separate from the side bars, having elongated bearings for the pintles arranged to register with the perforations in the side bars and to extend beyond the faces of the side bars .to which they are secured, and also having means for attachment to the side bars extending beyond the overlapping end of the side bars, substantially as set forth.

2. In a chain, the combination of the open links having opposite side bars, separate bearin -pieces secured to the outer faces .of the side bars, and having bearings alining with the pintle-apertures in the side :bars and extending outward beyond the faces ,of the side bars, and the connecting-pintles arranged to be seated in aperturesin the said bearingpieces and side bars, substantially as set forth.

3. In a chain, the combination of a series of open links, a series of intermediate links having separate side bars, the pintles for uniting the links of the chain, and the separate bearin -pieces secured to the inner faces of the side 1 ars of the intermediate links, the said bearing-pieces being each formed with a .laterallyeextending plate arranged to be secured directly to the inner face of one of the side 'bars of the said intermediate links, the bearing-pieces being also provided with elongated bearings for the connecting-pintles, such bearings extending out beyond the laterally-extending plate of the bearing-piece, and'the said elongated bearings being 'so arranged as to abut end to end, whereby the serve to space apart the side bars of the links to whioh'they are connected, substantially as set forth.

4. In a chain, the combination Withthe side bar of a link thereof, of a separate bearing-piece formed with a bearing for the pintle and having a supporting bracket or plate,

IIO

and means for securing the said supportingbracket directly to the side bar of the link, substantially as set forth.

5. In a chain, the combination of a link having its side bars of channel form, and a separate pintle-bearing secured to the said side bar between the flanges thereof, substantially as set forth.

6. In a chain, the combination of a link having side bars of channel form, a pintlebearing consisting of a perforated block 4 arranged to lie between the flanges of the side 

